BBC 3’s newest sitcom kicked off last night and I’m pleased to report it’s actually quite good. Pulling is written by Dennis Kelly and Sharon Horgan, who also plays its lead character Donna, and it follows three thirtysomething female friends coping with love, life and men.
Donna is the mostly befuddled one who nearly married her witless boyfriend Karl before calling it off at the last minute when she realised she wanted more out of life.
Karen (Tanya Franks) is the alcoholic, party animal, primary teacher one who’s out to shag anything that moves, and Louise (Rebekah Staton – who I admit to having a bit of a crush on) is the grounded but wannabe romantic one who fails to get the guy.
Cavan Clerkin also deserves a mention as the jilted ex who’s pathetic and sympathetic at the same time.
It’s not particularly new territory and it’s a bit No Angels meets Manstrokewoman in style and in the world views it espouses, but it’s well written, well acted and at times very nicely underplayed. It has good downbeat dialogue and some cracking lines.
It will also fill the Lead Balloon-shaped hole in my viewing schedule now that Jack Dee’s brutally dark sitcom (the TV highlight of the year as far as FBTP is concerned) is drawing to an end.
Feeling buoyed by Pulling I also decided to watch the opening episode of the second series of Tittybangbang. I was a little lost in the first series as the sketch situations were promising and the characters intriguing and I kept hoping it would be funny. Somewhere. Once. Please… But it wasn’t. Not ever.
And it’s sad to report that this Lucy Montgomery and Debbie Chazen vehicle hasn’t improved any in its second incarnation. It so badly wants to be wacky and offbeat that it’s forgotten to be funny. And that’s quite a serious crime for a sketch-based comedy series.
But as Meat Loaf very nearly said, one out of two ain’t bad…
No comments:
Post a Comment